Islam in Punjab, India

Islam in Punjab, India
Moorish Mosque of Kapurthala
Total population
c. 535,489 [1]
(~2% of the state population)
Regions with significant populations
Malerkotla, Qadian, Ludhiana, Amritsar
Religions
Islam
Sunni's • Shia's • Ahmadiyya
Languages
Punjabi, Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu)

Islam is a minority religion in Punjab, India followed by 535,489 people constituting about 1.93 percent of the state population out of 27.7 million population as of 2011 census report.[2]

Islam has a strong historical presence in Punjab with many mosques, mausoleums and shrines. According to the 1941 census, Punjabi Muslims constituted approximately 38.4 percent of the population in the region that comprises the contemporary state of Punjab, India.[a] With violence and religious cleansing accompanying the Partition of Punjab in 1947, the vast majority departed the region en masse, migrating westward to the region of Punjab that would fall on the western side of the Radcliffe Line, in the contemporary state of Punjab, Pakistan.[4]

In the current era, much of the Muslim population of Punjab consists of migrants from Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Delhi and Bihar etc.[5] The native Punjabi Muslims predominantly resides in Malerkotla district and Qadian town.[6]

History

Muslim Population in Punjab, India
YearPop.±% p.a.
1881 2,440,888—    
1901 2,898,114+0.86%
1911 2,515,774−1.40%
1921 2,686,598+0.66%
1931 3,072,619+1.35%
1941 3,748,410+2.01%
1947 90,172−46.27%
1951 110,160+5.13%
1961 181,234+5.10%
1971 252,688+3.38%
1981 321,287+2.43%
1991 390,077+1.96%
2001 382,045−0.21%
2011 535,489+3.43%
Source: Census of India[b][c][d][e][f][a]
A photo of the Moorish Mosque in Kapurthala, India

Islam first arrived in the Punjab region following the conquest of Sindh by Muhammad bin Qasim in 712. The first permanent Muslim conquest of the Punjab was carried out by Mahmud Ghaznavi who made the whole of the Punjab a province of his empire with the headquarters at Lahore.

When the Ghaznavid Empire began to decline, the region was conquered by Muhammad Ghori. The conquest by Muhammad Ghori inaugurated a period of Muslim rule which lasted until the 18th century. The Mughals made most of East Punjab a part of the governorate of Sirhind.

The founder of the Ahmadiyya movement, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, was born in Qadian, East Punjab in 1835.

According to the 1941 census, Muslims constituted approximately 38.4 percent of the population in the region that comprises the contemporary state of Punjab, India, numbering around 3.75 million persons.[a] Following the Partition of Punjab, the population declined to 90,000 or 0.5% due to ethnic cleansing and large-scale mass migration of 3.66 million Muslims to Punjab, Pakistan in the violent events that have occurred during Partition.[10][11]

Today, Muslims are scattered across East Punjab with small concentrations in the cities of Chandigarh, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Malerkotla and Qadian. Malerkotla is the only municipality in Indian Punjab that has a Muslim majority.[12] The migrant Uttar Pradeshi Muslims and Bihari Muslims labourers living in industrial city of Ludhiana, Patiala and Jalandhar forms a large proportion of the Muslim population in the state.[13]

Geographical distribution

Colonial era

Muslims in the administrative divisions that compose the contemporary Punjab State, India region (1881–1941)
District or Princely State 1881[7][8][9] 1901[14]: 34  1911[15]: 27 [16]: 27  1921[17]: 29  1931[18]: 277  1941[3]: 42 
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
Amritsar district 413,207 46.26% 474,976 46.39% 408,882 46.43% 423,724 45.59% 524,676 46.97% 657,695 46.52%
Jalandhar district 358,601 45.42% 421,011 45.88% 357,051 44.52% 366,586 44.57% 419,556 44.46% 509,804 45.23%
Patiala State 321,354 21.9% 357,334 22.38% 307,384 21.84% 330,341 22.03% 363,920 22.39% 436,539 22.55%
Firozpur district 310,552 47.74% 447,615 46.72% 418,553 43.61% 482,540 43.94% 515,430 44.56% 641,448 45.07%
Hoshiarpur district 290,193 32.19% 312,958 31.62% 281,805 30.68% 289,298 31.19% 328,078 31.78% 380,759 32.53%
Gurdaspur district[g] 286,224 47.37% 348,182 49.33% 304,860 48.67% 316,709 49.54% 367,388 50.78% 440,323 51.08%
Ludhiana district 213,954 34.57% 235,937 35.05% 176,043 34.04% 192,961 33.99% 235,598 35.03% 302,482 36.95%
Kapurthala State 142,974 56.6% 178,326 56.73% 152,117 56.73% 160,457 56.44% 179,251 56.59% 213,754 56.49%
Nabha State 50,178 19.16% 58,550 19.65% 46,032 18.5% 50,756 19.27% 57,393 19.96% 70,373 20.45%
Faridkot State 29,035 29.92% 35,996 28.82% 37,105 28.48% 44,813 29.74% 49,912 30.37% 61,352 30.79%
Malerkotla State 24,616 34.65% 27,229 35.13% 25,942 36.46% 28,413 35.37% 31,417 37.82% 33,881 38.45%
Total Muslims 2,440,888 36.94% 2,898,114 37.74% 2,515,774 36.83% 2,686,598 36.99% 3,072,619 37.83% 3,748,410 38.42%
Total Population 6,607,699 100% 7,679,645 100% 6,830,507 100% 7,262,881 100% 8,123,076 100% 9,757,161 100%

Modern era

1951[19]
Area Muslim Muslim %
Punjab A[h] 229,080 1.85%
Punjab B[i] 55,913 1.6%
Punjab C[j] 15,253 1.37%
Total East Punjab 300,246 1.77%
Muslims in the districts of the contemporary Punjab State, India region (1951–2011)
District 1951[20] 1961[21][22] 1971[23] 2011
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
Barnala district 41,673 7.76% N/a N/a N/a N/a 13,100 2.2%
Gurdaspur district 9,370 1.23% 5,566 0.56% 6,868 0.56% 27,667 1.2%
Firozpur district 4,805 0.37% 3,369 0.21% 6,340 0.33% 6,844 0.34%
Amritsar district 4,237 0.33% 2,401 0.16% 3,044 0.17% 12,502 0.5%
Sangrur district 3,741 0.58% 55,738 3.91% 64,448 5.62% 179,116 10.82%
Ludhiana district 3,360 0.42% 4,686 0.46% 5,620 0.4% 77,713 2.22%
Patiala district 2,893 0.55% 11,714 1.12% 13,644 1.12% 40,043 2.11%
Jalandhar district 2,569 0.25% 3,184 0.26% 3,362 0.23% 30,233 1.38%
Fatehgarh Sahib district 2,269 0.96% N/a N/a N/a N/a 16,808 2.8%
Hoshiarpur district 1,353 0.12% 7,050 0.57% 3,456 0.33% 23,089 1.46%
Kapurthala district 854 0.29% 856 0.25% 858 0.2% 10,190 1.25%
Bathinda district 416 0.06% 3,340 0.32% 3,829 0.29% 16,299 1.17%
Rupnagar district N/a N/a N/a N/a 2,978 0.55% 14,492 2.12%
Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar district N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a 29,488 2.96%
Mansa district N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a 10,375 1.35%
Moga district N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a 9,388 0.94%
Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a 6,829 1.12%
Sri Muktsar Sahib district N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a 4,333 0.48%
Tarn Taran district N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a 3,855 0.34%
Faridkot district N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a 3,125 0.51%
Total Muslims 77,540 0.85% 97,904 0.85% 114,447 0.84% 535,489 1.93%
Total Population 9,144,716 100% 11,497,826 100% 13,551,060 100% 27,743,338 100%

Demographics

Main article: Islam in India § Denomimations

Language

Languages spoken among Punjab's Muslims (2011 Census)[24]
Languages Percent
Urdu/Hindi
 
 58.57%
Punjabi
 
 41.43%

Out of 5.35 lakh Muslim population in the state as of 2011 census, only 2.21 lakh Muslims are native and speaks Punjabi as their mother tongue and rest 3.13 lakh speaks Hindustani language mainly Urdu.[25]

Culture

Sufism

Further information: Sufism in Punjab

Sufism has also played a major role in the history of Punjab.[26] Many prominent Sufi saints were born in Punjab, including Fariduddin Ganjshakar, Waris Shah and Bulleh Shah.[27][28]

Language

Punjabi Muslims had a major contribution in the development of Punjabi language. Fariduddin Ganjshakar (1179–1266) is recognised as the first major poet of the Punjabi language.[29] Roughly from the 12th century to the 19th century, many great Sufi saints and poets preached in the Punjabi language, the most prominent being Bulleh Shah. Punjabi Sufi poetry also developed under Shah Hussain (1538–1599), Sultan Bahu (1630–1691), Shah Sharaf (1640–1724), Ali Haider (1690–1785), Waris Shah (1722–1798), Saleh Muhammad Safoori (1747–1826), Mian Muhammad Baksh (1830–1907) and Khwaja Ghulam Farid (1845–1901).

Literature

The Punjabi language is famous for its rich literature of qisse, most of which are about love, passion, betrayal, sacrifice, social values and a common man's revolt against a larger system. The qissa of Heer Ranjha by Waris Shah (1706–1798) is among the most popular of Punjabi qissas. Other popular stories include Sohni Mahiwal by Fazal Shah, Mirza Sahiban by Hafiz Barkhudar (1658–1707), Sassui Punnhun by Hashim Shah (c. 1735–c. 1843), and Qissa Puran Bhagat by Qadaryar (1802–1892). In contrast to Persian poets, who had preferred the ghazal for poetic expression, Punjabi Sufi poets tended to compose in the Kafi.[30]

Music

See also: Music of Punjab

Punjabi music is used by western musicians in many ways, such as mixing with other compositions. Sufi music and Qawali, commonly practiced in Punjab, Pakistan; are other important genres in the Punjab region.[31][32]

Folk music of Punjab is the traditional music of Punjab produced using traditional musical instruments like Tumba, Algoza, Dhadd, Sarangi, Chimta and more. There is a wide range of folk songs for every occasion from birth to death including marriage, festivals, fairs and religious ceremonies.

Decadal percentage of Muslims in Punjab, India[33][34][35][36]

Year Percent Increase
1901[c] 37.74% N/A
1911[d] 36.83% -0.91%
1921[e] 36.99% +0.16%
1931[f] 37.83% +0.84%
1941[a] 38.42% +0.59%
1947 0.5% -37.92%
1951 0.63% +0.13%
1961 0.82% +0.19%
1971 0.93% +0.11%
1981 1% +0.07%
1991 1.18% +0.18%
2001 1.57% +0.39%
2011 1.93% +0.36%

The Muslim percentage as total population have declined drastically from 38.38% in 1941 to 0.5% in 1947. But after Independence, Muslims have grown slightly from 0.63% in 1951 to 1.93% in 2011 census.[37]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d 1941 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all districts (Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Firozpur, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, and Gurdaspur (minus Shakargarh Tehsil)), and princely states (Kapurthala, Malerkotla, Faridkot, Patiala, and Nabha) which are in the region that comprises the contemporary state of Punjab, India. See 1941 census data here:[3]: 42 
  2. ^ 1881 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all districts (Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Firozpur, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, and Gurdaspur (minus Shakargarh Tehsil)), and princely states (Kapurthala, Malerkotla, Faridkot, Patiala, and Nabha) which are in the region that comprises the contemporary state of Punjab, India. See 1881 census data here:[7][8][9]
  3. ^ a b 1901 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all districts (Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Firozpur, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, and Gurdaspur (minus Shakargarh Tehsil)), and princely states (Kapurthala, Malerkotla, Faridkot, Patiala, and Nabha) which are in the region that comprises the contemporary state of Punjab, India. See 1901 census data here:[14]: 34 
  4. ^ a b 1911 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all districts (Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Firozpur, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, and Gurdaspur (minus Shakargarh Tehsil)), and princely states (Kapurthala, Malerkotla, Faridkot, Patiala, and Nabha) which are in the region that comprises the contemporary state of Punjab, India. See 1911 census data here:[15]: 27 [16]: 27 
  5. ^ a b 1921 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all districts (Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Firozpur, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, and Gurdaspur (minus Shakargarh Tehsil)), and princely states (Kapurthala, Malerkotla, Faridkot, Patiala, and Nabha) which are in the region that comprises the contemporary state of Punjab, India. See 1921 census data here:[17]: 29 
  6. ^ a b 1931 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all districts (Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Firozpur, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, and Gurdaspur (minus Shakargarh Tehsil)), and princely states (Kapurthala, Malerkotla, Faridkot, Patiala, and Nabha) which are in the region that comprises the contemporary state of Punjab, India. See 1931 census data here:[18]: 277 
  7. ^ Does not include Shakargarh Tehsil, which was awarded to Pakistan as part of the Radcliffe Line.
  8. ^ Comprising parts of contemporary Haryana, Punjab, India & Himachal Pradesh
  9. ^ Comprising PEPSU, which forms parts of contemporary Punjab, India, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh.
  10. ^ Comprising Himachal Pradesh & Bilaspur.

References

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  2. ^ Punjab Population Sex Ratio in Punjab Literacy rate data 2011 ...
  3. ^ a b India Census Commissioner (1941). "Census of India, 1941. Vol. 6, Punjab". JSTOR saoa.crl.28215541. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  4. ^ "'In Sikh dominated Indian Punjab, communal politics has no takers'".
  5. ^ https://punjab.global.ucsb.edu › ...PDF Punjab's Muslims: The History and Significance of Malerkotla
  6. ^ Manish, Sai (24 May 2021). "How Punjab's latest Muslim majority district will encourage Hindutva forces". Business Standard India.
  7. ^ a b "Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. I." 1881. JSTOR saoa.crl.25057656. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. II". 1881. p. 14. JSTOR saoa.crl.25057657. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. III". 1881. p. 14. JSTOR saoa.crl.25057658. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  10. ^ Krishan, Gopal. "Demography of the Punjab (1849-1947)" (PDF). Journal of Punjab Studies. 11 (1). Center of Sikh and Punjab Studies, University of California Santa Barbara: 77–89.
  11. ^ "Has Pak's Hindu population dropped sharply?". The Times of India.
  12. ^ "A renewed hate campaign". Frontline. 18 (11). 2001.
  13. ^ "Punjab Population by Religion | Hindu Population in Punjab | Sikh Population in Punjab".
  14. ^ a b "Census of India 1901. [Vol. 17A]. Imperial tables, I-VIII, X-XV, XVII and XVIII for the Punjab, with the native states under the political control of the Punjab Government, and for the North-west Frontier Province". 1901. JSTOR saoa.crl.25363739. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Census of India 1911. Vol. 14, Punjab. Pt. 2, Tables". 1911. JSTOR saoa.crl.25393788. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  16. ^ a b Kaul, Harikishan (1911). "Census Of India 1911 Punjab Vol XIV Part II". Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Census of India 1921. Vol. 15, Punjab and Delhi. Pt. 2, Tables". 1921. JSTOR saoa.crl.25430165. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Census of India 1931. Vol. 17, Punjab. Pt. 2, Tables". 1931. JSTOR saoa.crl.25793242. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  19. ^ Vashishta, Lakshmi Chandra; India. Superintendent Of Census Operations, Punjab (1951). "Census of India, 1951: Punjab, Pepsu, Himachal Pradesh, Bilaspur & Delhi". p. 298. JSTOR saoa.crl.25803729. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  20. ^ Vashishta, Lakshmi Chandra; India. Superintendent Of Census Operations, Punjab (1951). "Census of India, 1951: Punjab, Pepsu, Himachal Pradesh, Bilaspur & Delhi". p. 298. JSTOR saoa.crl.25803729. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  21. ^ "Paper No 1 of 1963, India - Census 1961". Census Digital Library. pp. 4–9. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  22. ^ "Social and Cultural Tables, Part II-C(i), Vol-XIII, Punjab - Census 1961". Census Digital Library. p. 349. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  23. ^ "Distribution of Population Religion and Scheduled Castes, Part II-C(i) and Part V-A, Series-17, Punjab - Census 1971". Census Digital Library. p. 9. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  24. ^ https://punjab.global.ucsb.edu › ...PDF Punjab's Muslims: The History and Significance of Malerkotla
  25. ^ https://punjab.global.ucsb.edu › ...PDF Punjab's Muslims: The History and Significance of Malerkotla
  26. ^ Singh, Surinder; Gaur, Ishwar Dayal (2009). Sufism in Punjab: Mystics, Literature, and Shrines. Delhi: Aakar Books. ISBN 978-81-89833-93-0.
  27. ^ Quddus, Syed Abdul (1992). Punjab, the Land of Beauty, Love, and Mysticism. Royal Book Company. p. 131. ISBN 978-969-407-130-5.
  28. ^ Long, Roger D.; Singh, Gurharpal; Samad, Yunas; Talbot, Ian (8 October 2015). State and Nation-Building in Pakistan: Beyond Islam and Security. Routledge. p. 156. ISBN 978-1-317-44820-4.
  29. ^ Shiv Kumar Batalvi Archived 10 April 2003 at the Wayback Machine sikh-heritage.co.uk.
  30. ^ "Articles on Bulleh Shah's Poetry".
  31. ^ Pande, Alka (1999). Folk music & musical instruments of Punjab : from mustard fields to disco lights. Ahmedabad [India]: Mapin Pub. ISBN 978-1-890206-15-4.
  32. ^ Thinda, Karanaila Siṅgha (1996). Pañjāba dā loka wirasā (New rev. ed.). Paṭiālā: Pabalikeshana Biūro, Pañjābī Yūniwarasiṭī. ISBN 978-81-7380-223-2.
  33. ^ "Muslims are dotting Punjab Landscape once again".
  34. ^ "District wise Religious Composition of Population in Punjab in 1981, 1991, 2001". Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  35. ^ Gill, Mehar (21 January 2017). "Demographic Dynamism of Punjab, 1971-2011". Economic and Political Weekly. 52 (3): 26–29. eISSN 2349-8846. ISSN 0012-9976 – via ResearchGate.
  36. ^ Ranganathan, Anand (9 January 2015). "The Vanishing Hindus of Pakistan – a Demographic Study". Newslaundry.
  37. ^ "Muslims are dotting Punjab Landscape once again".
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Punjab,_India